The sun had just begun to climb over the horizon, casting golden light across the Bellet estate. The new house was quiet but alive, the scent of fresh flowers mingling with the lingering energy from past battles.
I had just returned from the training grounds outside the city, still carrying the faint tingle of violet lightning along my veins. My mother, Isolde Bellet, moved gracefully in the kitchen, adjusting the table for breakfast. For a moment, I paused and watched her—strong, vibrant, youthful. Fifty-six years, and yet she radiated health and life like she had returned to the prime of her youth.
"Mother… you really are… incredible." I muttered under my breath, smiling faintly.
A soft laugh answered me. "Ashura, don't talk like that. Sit before I scold you for standing around daydreaming."
I chuckled, but my attention shifted as I heard the sound of footsteps—light, hurried.
"Gina!" I called, and the door burst open. My sister, barely sixteen, her brown eyes wide, stepped inside. Her hands flew to cover her mouth as she froze in place.
Mother, Isolde, looked up and smiled, radiant as ever. "Gina… my little one."
Gina's eyes were already glistening with tears. "M-Mother… is that really… you?" Her voice cracked. "You… you look… so… young… strong… alive!"
I stepped forward, letting her run into my side. "It's really her, Gina. She's… she's back."
Gina's hands trembled as she reached for Mother. The warmth, the vitality radiating from Isolde, hit her like a wave. She threw herself into her mother's arms, sobbing and laughing all at once.
Mother's hands encircled her daughter, holding her tight. "Oh, Gina… my baby. I've missed you so much."
Tears streamed down Gina's cheeks. "I… I was so worried… so scared… I didn't think I'd ever see you like this again. You… you're amazing!"
I stepped back, watching, feeling the weight of it all settle in my chest. Years of struggle, sickness, exhaustion—all the battles I had fought, the dungeons I had cleared, the near-death experiences, the chaos of my life—it all came down to this one moment. My family, safe. My mother restored. My sister reunited with her strength.
Mother, Isolde, lifted Gina's face with gentle hands. "You've grown so much, little one. Strong, brave, just like Ashura." Her eyes lingered on me, a soft smile curving her lips. "And Ashura… my son. You've carried so much on your shoulders. I'm proud of you."
My throat tightened. I gave a small, wry smile. "Proud, huh? You better not start crying too, or I'll scold both of you for dramatics."
Mother laughed, a soft, melodic sound that filled the room with warmth. "I feel young… and alive… and yet I feel like I've been given a second chance at life. Thanks to you, Ashura."
Gina clung to her mother again, tears of joy streaming freely. "I… I never thought this day would come. I was so scared you'd never be… like this again. Thank you, Ashura!"
I stepped forward, brushing a hand over my sister's hair. "It's nothing. You're worth every drop of effort, every fight, every risk. You and Mother… nothing in this world will ever take you away from me again."
The three of us stood there for a long moment, mother and daughter embracing, me standing just behind, violet lightning faintly flickering along my arms as if celebrating this small, precious victory alongside us.
In that moment, the storms outside—the chaos, the dungeons, the battles, the blood—faded into the background. What mattered most was here, in the warmth of our home, with Isolde Bellet alive and strong again, and Gina safe in her arms.
And though the world outside would never stop testing me, I knew something fundamental: whatever storms came next, I would always have them.
No one touches my family. I thought grimly, violet lightning pulsing faintly across my skin. Not ever.
For now, the Bellet house was filled with laughter, tears, and warmth—the rarest kind of victory.